Roy Hodgson says Manchester City have a top player in their ranks with ‘hard skill sets to find’

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Manchester City forward Raheem Sterling has been praised by Roy Hodgson, who says the England international has “hard skill sets to find”.

The Citizens ace is currently experiencing a goal drought, which extended to 11 games at club level in Saturday’s 2-0 victory over Hodgson’s Crystal Palace.

Sterling’s indifferent form resulted in him being left on the bench for City’s Champions League semi-final first leg win at Paris Saint-Germain in midweek.

The 26-year-old started for Pep Guardiola’s side against the Eagles but, despite getting into good positions, couldn’t put away his opportunities.

He fired over the bar early on before slicing wide under pressure in the area, and later in the game he hit the inside of the post from a tight angle.

Despite his goal drought, Hodgson has no doubt about his qualities and what he can offer Gareth Southgate’s Three Lions this summer.

“I am a great admirer of Raheem, I think he is a fine player,” Hodgson, who handed Sterling his England debut in 2012, told Sky Sports.

“It is a wonderful position to be in if you’re Pep Guardiola that you believe you have other players you prefer to use to Raheem.

“But I am pretty certain in terms of England, he will still be an important player and an important cog in the wheel because he has so much ability.

“The skill set he has and ability he has to beat people, get into goal-scoring positions and score and set up chances, they are hard skill sets to find.

“And a great quality Raheem has got, and one I have always admired in him, is he is not a player who stays up there and waits for the ball to come to him.

“He makes certain he goes in search of it and when he loses it, he gets it back and plays an important role in the team’s defensive work.

“These are things we as coaches expect of our players these days, but it’s not always easy to get it.”

TBR View:

Sterling may be currently struggling in front of goal, but form is temporary

He has the quality any top level manager needs, and the fact he’s getting praised by an experienced manager like Hodgson is testament to just how good he is and what he offers.